Are you trapped by anxiety? Do you suffer from panic attacks? If so, you want to know if this is something that can be cured.
How can you be free of anxiety and panic attacks? First of all, you are not alone.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 40 million Americans over 18 suffer from anxiety disorder.
And nearly 6 million Americans suffer from panic attacks as well.
What Causes Anxiety In order to become free from anxiety you need to understand what causes it.
Anxiety is actually a built-in mechanism that protects us from danger.
It is part of the "flight or fight" response.
When you are confronted by something dangerous, such as someone suddenly about to attack you, your body immediately goes into this flight or fight mechanism.
This is actually a good thing, because the body uses this to protect itself.
If it didn't, then you could suffer harm or even death.
However, when anxiety begins to be triggered by everyday situations, this can lead to panic attacks.
Panic Attacks When you suffer a panic attack, your anxiety level goes up.
After the attack, your body returns to normal, but now you are fearful of having another one.
Your senses are heightened and you are looking for signs of another attack.
Sooner or later, another attack comes along.
Afterwards, you are left with even more fear.
This cycle goes on and on.
Coping You may have tried mechanisms to cope with anxiety.
More than likely, you will try to avoid the situation that triggered the attack-e.
g.
, going to the mall, or driving.
This may lessen the panic attacks, but it leads to your life being controlled by them.
Instead of just trying to cope, you need to free yourself.
You need to look into the situations that trigger anxiety and determine the cause.
And you need to learn how to change your response from "flight" to "fight".